A secondary source interprets or analyzes a primary source. These sources are one step removed from the original event and provide insight into how scholars and experts understand your topic.
Never assume the sources you find in library resources are automatically "scholarly." Some databases will have a mix of different types of sources. While the contents may come from a scholarly or peer reviewed journal, you still need to evaluate to make sure it is indeed a scholarly source. Often times you will come across book reviews, letters to the editor, or editorials in these journals that do not qualify as "scholarly sources" because they are not research articles.
For more clarification on scholarly sources, navigate to the scholarly sources page of this guide. In your library resources module for this week, you will also find a tutorial video on scholarly sources. If you are still having trouble, click on the research help page to connect with a librarian.